—by Chris Rifer

On Saturday night the Kings of Cascadia headed north, looking to steal a result from an ever-confident Sounders side in the first Cascadia Cup fixture in MLS history. On a night with weather befitting Cascadia, in front of a mostly-full Qwest Field, the Timbers played the Sounders to a 1-1 draw, sending the trash-bag-poncho-clad Rave Green faithful home disappointed.

In the first half the Timbers had the better of the run of play. After weathering a little Sounders pressure in the opening minutes, the Timbers created the majority of the chances and looked far and away the more threatening side. In spite of the Timbers’ control, Portland struggled to find much in the way of golden opportunities, rarely making Kasey Keller work beyond his comfort zone.

If the chances were few for the Timbers, they were downright endangered for Seattle. Great Clips commercials on the JumboTron substantially outnumbered the Sounders’ chances in the first 45 minutes, as the Timbers’ defense was more than ready to answer any question the Sounders asked of them. Seattle’s best chance came in the waning minutes of the half, as a Fredy Montero free kick sailed wide into the side netting—sending a significant portion of Sounders fans into a delirious, if a bit confused celebration.

The second half, however, brought an end to Seattle’s offensive impotence. The first ten minutes after intermission saw a once-composed Timbers defense turn into a sieve. The Sounders created several chances in the opening moments of the second period, and saw their efforts pay off as a Montero header found Alvaro Fernandez completely unmarked at the corner of the box. Fernandez had time to take two touches and blast past a helpless Troy Perkins to put Seattle on top momentarily.

The Sounders’ lead wouldn’t last, however, as in the 65^th minute Jack Jewsbury sent another one of his signature set pieces into the box. In a virtual replay of their goal against Philadelphia, Futty nodded Jewsbury’s service past an onrushing Kasey Keller to equalize.

The remainder of the match was an up and down affair that saw plenty of action in each side’s attacking third but no quality chances to speak of. Both sides believed they earned a penalty—Portland after an arguably cynical take down of Kenny Cooper in the box and Seattle after an apparent incidental handball by Futty—but the referee resisted the urge to change the result.

In the end, the draw was a just result that sent the saturated Timbers Army home satisfied. Questions about whether Portland can compete on the road have been put on hold, as the Timbers did not have any problem playing on level terms with Seattle at Qwest Field. The draw gives the Timbers a much needed away point, and the early inside track to retain the Cascadia Cup.

Match Observations

• Other than a pretty terrible first ten minutes to begin the second half, the Timbers defense again showed the form that they put on display at home the last two weeks. Seattle spent a fair amount of time in Timbers territory on Saturday, but other than the goal, the Timbers defense kept Seattle from creating any chances that would seriously make Perkins work.
• The conditions worked out perfectly for Portland. The away team in a derby match very rarely wins a pretty game. The Timbers, then, wanted to make the match ugly and look to scratch out a result. The conditions were amenable to such a tactic, and it paid off in the draw.
• For some reason I always go to Seattle expecting the Sounders’ supporters section to be bigger and louder. I always leave underwhelmed. Certainly they spent a lot on their tifo, as their banners looked like they cost quite a bit to have made for them. Aside from that, though, the Sounders customers were less than breathtaking. I can’t help but equate Seattle customers to Donald Trump. They talk to everybody who will listen about how great they are, but really don’t have that much cause to brag. The fact that they can fill about half the seats in an NFL stadium doesn’t really sweep me off my feet.
• Finally, I’d like to take a moment to give a big thank you to some real class supporters. Joanne and the rest of the travel team, including all of the bus captains, did an incredible job putting all of this on. The Seattle away trip poses some pretty unique challenges, and everybody involved in organizing it did an incredible job. Thank you!

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5.5 Again, his defense didn’t make him work a whole lot. Can’t blame him for the goal, and came up nicely in a couple spots in clearing out a few crosses and stopping a couple shots.

Rodney Wallace, 5.5 Rod is best when he can face up his opponent on the wing. In that situation he does a really good job of contesting the cross, blocking it or making the winger send it into a place he doesn’t want to. That said, he can still be a little stressful when the opponent is on the counterattack or when called upon to play a ball in the air.

Futty, 6.5 Probably the man of the match for the Timbers. Before the match I saw an article that said he was one of the best in the league at playing balls in the air off of set pieces. When I read that I thought it was a bit premature. Turns out it wasn’t as much premature as prophetic. Has clearly secured his starting spot alongside Brunner, and played as well in defense as he did in getting his melon on Jewsbury’s service.

Eric Brunner, 5.5 Fairly nondescript match from Brunner, which is more of a compliment than anything for a central defender. Bears some responsibility for the miscommunication on Seattle’s goal, but otherwise, still lead a very effective backline.

Jeremy Hall, 4.5 Didn’t provide a whole lot coming forward, but that is to be expected when the Timbers are away. Had a couple misplays, and Fernandez was probably his mark on the Sounders’ goal, but was generally reliable on his flank.

Kalif Alhassan, 5.5 There wasn’t a ton of room to operate for Kalif, as he was clearly a point of emphasis for the Sounders defense. Made a couple nice runs with the ball at his feet, but didn’t have the opportunity to be his usual self.

Diego Chara, 5.5 He’s more dynamic when the game is a bit more open, but Chara was overall impressive in the center of the midfield. He and Jewsbury were getting quite a bit of respect from Seattle’s midfield, as they were sitting quite a ways back much of the night. I don’t know if he won the matchup with Osvaldo Alonso, but he certainly didn’t lose it.

Jack Jewsbury, 6 Gets credit for a good game in the center of the midfield, but again created the Timbers’ breakthrough with brilliant service off of a set piece. Right now he is the engine behind Portland’s greatest strength, and if the Timbers keep up their torrid scoring pace on set pieces, Jewsbury could be in line for some league honors.

Darlington Nagbe, 4.5 I feel like I say this every week, but he just needs some time. He again showed how hard he is to knock off the ball, but sometimes that is to the Timbers’ detriment. He has a tendency to try to make something happen himself rather than make the proper pass or send a cross into the box.

Jorge Perlaza, 5 I can’t give him a negative grade because his lack of impact on the match wasn’t really his fault. The Sounders were very tight in back, and Perlaza really didn’t have anything in the way of service.

Kenny Cooper, 5.5 Largely the same as Perlaza. He didn’t have much service, but he gets bumped up slightly for creating a bit more himself. Had two shots on target and was perhaps a bit unlucky not to draw a penalty.

Sal Zizzo, 6 Drew the foul that led to the equalizing free kick. In the last couple games Sal has stated an interesting case that he should see the pitch quite a bit. Nagbe just needs more time on the pitch to develop, so I would be surprised to see Zizzo take his place in the starting XI, but I think we will consistently see Zizzo before the 70^th minute on that right side.

Ryan Pore, 5 Came on late for Perlaza to help salt away the draw. Didn’t have much of an impact, but was a shrewd move as he provides a bit more in defense than Perlaza. Despite the Sounders’ desperate search for a winner late, with Pore’s help the Timbers kept Seattle from ever seriously threatening.

Onward, Rose City!